For eight weeks the PBS Emmy® Award-winning home improvement seriesTHIS OLD HOUSE followed three sets of Jersey Shore homeowners rebuilding in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.

Clopay and our dealer partner, Dana Clark, owner of Ned Sickels Overhead Doors, teamed up with THIS OLD HOUSE to support the rebuilding efforts of the Santos family, who own a 1950s Colonial located on an inlet in Point Pleasant, N.J.

Clark’s company is located five miles from the shore in Tinton Falls, NJ. When Sandy hit last fall, he was without power for three weeks. He considers himself lucky to have only suffered that inconvenience.

“The communities here just got hammered. I couldn’t believe the damage when we were finally able to leave our house and see what was going on,” says Clark. “A year later people are still waiting for insurance money to rebuild, if they were fortunate enough to have insurance.”

The Santos’s home before Superstorm Sandy.

A 45-year resident of the community, Clark was happy to support the Santos family, who were hit hard. “They acted as their own general contractors so I got involved early in the process to help them choose the best doors for their home and walk them through the framing requirements as they cut the rough openings,” he says.

Clark recommended Canyon Ridge® Collection Limited Edition Seriescarriage house garage doors to coordinate with the stained front door and composite deck.

Canyon Ridge Collection faux wood garage doors won’t rot, warp or crack and are insulated for year round energy efficiency. Model shown: Design 13 with ARCH3 windows in a dark finish.

The overhead sectional doors are constructed of a low-maintenance composite material that looks like real wood, but it won't rot, warp, or crack due to moisture. Each door is two-inches thick and features Intellicore®technology for maximum durability, energy-efficiency and quiet operation. He also installed two new LiftMaster® openers.

Like most houses in the area, the Santos's home had to be raised up on 9-foot pilings. The new garage doors are located on the first level.

The Santos’s are extremely grateful for the generous assistance they received from local businesses and manufacturers like Dana Clark and Clopay.

One year later – the Santos’s have rebuilt and are living in their Mt. Pleasant home.

The family sent us photographs and a thank you note after the house was completed. In it, they mentioned that the original garage door on their home was a single Clopay steel door. They weren’t able to re-use it because it didn't fit the specs of the new house design so they donated it to another local family in need.

Pay it forward.

In case you missed it, watch all eight episodes of THIS OLD HOUSE “Jersey Shore Rebuilds” online.

Be sure to read the Santos’s account of surviving Sandy on the TOH TV website blog.

Read More About Clopay's Before And Afters 

- One House Four Doors

- Adding Windows To Your Garage